Container with self-locking lid



Sept. 17, 1968 E. c. JOHNSON ET Al. 3,401,866

CONTAINER WITH SELF-LOCKING LID Filed Nov. 10, 1966 5 sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEVS Sept. 17, 1968 c, JOHNSON ET AL 3,401,866

CONTAINER WITH SELF-LOCKING LID 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 10, 1966 w m mh TQHEQ WJNQ ma m fi m w? A ED w Sept. 17, 1968 E. c. JOHNSON ET L 3,401,856

CONTAINER WITH SELF-LOCKING LID Filed Nov. 10, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Eveaa'rr C. Jouusom Y DONALD G-J IGZE'R United States Patent M 3,401,866 CONTAINER WITH SELF-LOCKING LID Everett C. Johnson, North Riverside, and Donald G. Meier, Tinley Park, Ill., assignors to Owens-Illinois, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 593,468 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-45) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved folding box-type container ,and a self-locking lid for such container which may be releasably locked in assembled relationship to the container. The top edge of the container is provided with downwardly folded flaps and the lid is provided with corresponding downwardly-projecting flaps which flaps are respectively foldable around the container flaps to effect the securement of the lid to the container. The lid is further retained in assembled relationship to the container by the provision of lateral projections on the downwardlyextending flaps of the lid which respectively fold around the external vertical corners of the lid and are detachably secured to the adjacent lid flaps.

This invention relates to an improved folding box-type container wherein a lid for such container may be releasably locked in assembled relationship to the container without the employment of any separate fastening devices or adhesives.

Corrugated boxes are undoubtedly the most popular media currently utilized for the packaging of industrial and agricultural products. In many packaging applications, it is desirable that the box he provided with an inexpensive cover or lid which can be securely locked to the box and yet, whenever desired, be conveniently removed from the box without necessitating the tearing of any tape or adhesive, or the removal of staples or other types of mechanical fasteners.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved foldable box and self-locking lid. More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved box and self-locking lid therefor, each of which may respectively be conveniently formed from single sheets of corrugated paper board or other foldable material, which may be folded into a unitary container wherein the lid portion of the container is securely, yet detach- ,ably, locked to the box to permit repeated removal and re-application of the lid to the box.

The specific nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the annexed sheets of drawings on which is shown two preferred embodiments of the invention.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a box and selflocking lid embodying this invention in their assembled relationship.

FIG. 2 is a reduced-scale perspective view of one form of box construction utilized in connection with this invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the selflocking lid embodied in this invention may be fabricated.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the blank of FIG. 3 in partially assembled relationship to the box of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified blank for the selflocking lid.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a box to which the lid of FIG. 5 is assembled.

3,401,866 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 As shown on the drawings:

The number 10 indicates generally a box constructed in accordance With this invention to which a self-locking lid 20 may be detachably applied. Referring specifically to FIG. 2, the box 10 comprises any conventional box formed by folding a blank, formed from corrugated or compressed paper board, or other rigid, yet foldable material, and having a bottom wall 117 and four (4) upstanding interconnected side walls 12. While not limited thereto, such box is generally of a rectangular configuration but could be of hexagonal or any other desired polygonal construction. In the case of ,a rectangular box, it will be understood that at least two of the adjacent side walls 12 will be joined together with either a conventional glued, stitched or adhesive tape manufacturers joint (not shown).

Along the top edge of each of the side walls 12 there is provided an integral flap portion 12a which is reversely foldable about a groove 12b (FIG. 4) so .as to lie in downwardly projecting parallel relationship to the side wall 12 to which it is integrally secured. Preferably the groove 12b is fabricated in such a manner so as to provide a small spacing between the flap 12a and the adjacent side wall 12 for a purpose to be later described.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the lid 20 is formed from a blank 21 which is produced by conventional cutting and grooving operations on a sheet of corrugated or compressed fibreboard, or any other rigid, yet foldable, material. Blank 21 includes a central panel portion 21a which is of the same size and configuration as the open top of the box 10. Along one of the edges of the central portion 21a, a primary flap 22 is integrally formed and is hingedly joined to the central panel portion 21a by a conventional folding groove 218. The flap 22 is, in turn, longitudinally grooved as at 22a to form a reversely foldable end tab 22b. Along the adjacent edge of the central panel portion 21a there is provided a secondary flap 23 which is hingedly united to the central panel portion 21a by a folding groove 21c. Flap 23 is of generally T-shaped configuration and includes a central portion 23a and a laterally projecting stem portion 23b which is integrally united thereto by a folding groove 23c. Along each of the remaining side walls of the central flap portion 23a there are provided longitudinally projecting, integral locking tabs 23d which are secured to central portion 23:: by folding grooves 23a.

All of the remaining sides of the central panel 21a are similarly alternately provided with primary flaps 22 and secondary flaps 23.

The above described construction permits the folding of the blank 21 into a shallow tray-like configuration, which is nestable on the top of box 10, by folding each of the flaps 22 and 23 respectively about the grooves 21b and 21a to a right angle position relative to the central panel 21a.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4, the first step in the assemblage of the top 20 to the box 10 is to respectively fold each of the primary flaps 22 downwardly about the I folding grooves 21b while positioning the blank 21 on the open top of the box 10. Each of the end tabs 22b is then respectively reversely folded about the folding groove 22a to surround the adjacent box flap 12a, thus positioning the external lateral edge of each primary flap 22 between the box fiap 12a and the box sidewall 12. Thus, each box flap 12a is completely surrounded by the respective top flap 22 and, due to the spacing of each box flap 12a outwardly from the adjacent box side wall 12, the folded flaps 22, 22b and 12a lie in snug parallel relationship to the respective side wall 12 of the box 10.

The next step in the assembly operation is to reversely fold each of the secondary flaps 23 around the respective adjacent box flaps 12a so that the stem portion 23b, hence the external lateral edge, of each secondary flap 23 lies inside of the respective box flap 12a, and each such box flap 12a is also positioned in downwardly projecting, parallel relationship to the respective box sidewall 12. In this position, it is apparent that the lid 20 is securely locked to the box 10 so far as axial displacements are concerned. To complete the locking action, the locking tabs 23d are folded about their respective folding grooves 23c into a position overlying the adjacent primary flap 22 and then secured thereto by any desired means. For example, an end tab 23 is formed on the extremity of each locking tab 23d which may he slipped into an angle shaped cut 22c in the adjacent primary flap 22. Other well known means for detachably securing locking tabs 23d to the adjacent primary flap 22 will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

The modification of this invention heretofore described may be employed with any polygonal box construction having ,an even number of sides. Referring to FIGS. and 6, there is illustrated another embodiment of this invention which may be employed with a polygonal box having either an even or uneven number of sides, however, for simplicity of illustration, a rectangular container is again employed as an example.

The self-locking top is again formed from a blank 31 which is produced by conventional cutting and grooving operations on a sheet of corrugated or compressed fibreboard or similar material. Blank 31 includes a central panel portion 31a which is of the same size and configuration as the open top of the polygonal box 10. In contrast to the previously described embodiment, a plurality of identical locking flaps 32 are respectively provided on each side of the self-locking panel portion 31a. Such flaps are hingedly joined to such central panel portion 31a by a conventional groove 3112. Each locking flap 32 is provided with a longitudinally extending folded groove 32a, thus defining an end flap 32b. On one lateral edge of the locking flap 32, a longitudinally projecting integral tab 320 is provided which is hingedly connected to the flap 32 by a folding groove 32d. In the opposite side of each locking flap 32 a right-angle retaining slot 322 is formed.

When the top 30 is to be assembled to the box 10, each of the locking flaps 32 is folded around the adjacent box flap 12a as shown in FIG. 6 and thus the top 30 is securely locked to the box 10 insofar as axial displacement is concerned. To complete the locking of the top 30, each tab 320 is folded around the adjacent corner of the box 10 and the end of such tab is inserted in the angular slot 32c thus completing the assemblage. Since each tab 32c cooperates with a slot 32a in the adjacent locking flap 32, it is apparent that this construction could be employed on a triangular, pentagonal or any other polygonal box construction having an uneven number of sides.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that while the described invention is particularly applicable to corrugated boxes, it may equally well be applied to boxes formed from any foldable sheet material such as any of the wellknown thermoplastics, for example, polystyrene, polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride, or foil-fibre laminates. It will also be apparent that if it is not necessary to completely lock each side of the top to the box, an adequate locking action may be obtained in the modification of FIGURES 1 through 4 by utilizing only (2) primary flaps 22 disposed on opposite sides of the central panel 21a and respectively cooperating with only two (2) of the box flaps 12a. In such case, the stem portion 23b of secondary flaps 23 may be eliminated, as well as two of the box flaps 12a. Other modifications of this invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art which do not depart from the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination with an open top fiberboard container having outwardly reversely folded, downwardlyprojecting flaps along the top end of at least two sides of the container, a self-locking fiberboard lid formed from a unitary sheet of corrugated board comprising:

(1) a center panel conforming to and overlying the open top of said container;

(2) a set of primary flaps respectively foldably secured to the opposite sides of said center panel corresponding to the location of said downwardly-projecting flaps on the container, each primary flap being longitudinally grooved to permit folding of said primary flaps respectively around the adjacent container flaps, the external lateral end of each primary flap lying between the container flaps and the container sidewalls;

(3) a set of secondary flaps respectively foldably secured to the remaining two sides of said central panel, said secondary flap being longitudinally grooved to permit downward folding of said secondary flaps to lie adjacent to the container sidewalls;

(4) locking tabs respectively foldably secured to the vertical edges of said lid flaps, whereby said locking tabs may be respectively folded around the vertical corners defined by said lids into configuous relationship with the adjacent lid fiap; and

(5) means for detachably securing each said locking tab to said adjacent contiguous lid flap.

2. In combination with an open top fiberboard container having a polygonal cross section and outwardly reversely folded, downwardly-projecting flaps along the top end of each side of the container, a self-locking fiberboard lid formed from a unitary sheet of corrugated board comprising:

(1) a polygonal central panel conforming to and overlying the open top of said container;

(2) locking flaps respectively foldably secured to the sides of said polygonal central panel, each locking flap being longitudinally grooved to permit reverse folding of each locking flap around the adjacent downwardly-projecting container flap so that the external lateral end of each locking flap lies between the container flap and one of the container sidewalls;

(3) a horizontally-projecting locking tab foldably secured to a vertical edge of each locking flap, whereby said locking tabs may be respectively folded around the adjacent vertical corners of said lid to lie in contiguous relationship with the external face of the adjacent locking flap; and

(4) means for detachably securing each locking tab respectively to the adjacent contiguous locking flap.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner.

Disclaimer 3,401,866.Everett C. Johnson, North Riverside, and Donald G. Meier, Tiuley Park, Ill. CONTAINER WITH SELF-LOCKIN G LID. Patent dated Sept. 17, 1968. Disclaimer filed Dec. 21, 1970, by the assignee, Owe'rw-lllz'nois, Inc. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1 and 2 of said patent.

[Oyfim'al Gazette May 25, 1971.] 

